In the 16th round of Liga Placard, Sporting not only received but also defeated Quinta dos Lombos impressively with a scoreline of 6-0. The lions are determined to keep their sights on the first place, even as Braga fans remain steadfast following another victory this afternoon.
The Carcavelos team, having suffered three consecutive defeats, one of them in the Portuguese Cup, aimed to surprise the current title holder. Jorge Monteiro’s players entered the court with great determination, causing numerous difficulties for the home team.
Sporting came perilously close to conceding first, especially with a wasted 2-1 situation by Henrique Vicente in the 14th minute. However, a minute later, thanks to Pany Varela’s persistence, Zicky Té opened the scoring with a shot from the edge of the area.
Despite the Lombos remaining defensively cohesive, they did not allow any more goals, ending the first half with a minimal disadvantage.
DECIDED IN TWO MINUTES
Sporting emerged strong and determined in the second half, while Lombos’ resilience waned. In the 23rd minute, João Matos stole the ball from Vitão near midfield, passing it to Pauleta, who, in turn, set up Pany. The player with the ’18’ shirt took a low shot, leaving Schutt with no chance.
If Nuno Dias’ men struggled to create goals in the first half, the opposite occurred in the second. Taynan definitively unlocked the game with two goals in the same minute and an assist in the next, quickly raising the score to 5-0 and quashing the opponent’s aspirations.
In the last minute, there was still time for another goal, scored by Diogo Santos after a pass from Sokolov. Moments later, seconds away from the end of the match, Schutt was in a tough spot after a powerful shot from Tatinho directly to the goalkeeper’s face, forcing him to leave the court. Although he didn’t score any goals, Vitão, undoubtedly the most restless member, came close to scoring.
Sporting maintains its hold on the second place, trailing leader SC Braga by two points, while Quinta dos Lobos occupies the tenth place, with three points more than Belenenses, already in the relegation zone.